Nothing new here ... kind of

Still working on Dan's community college schedule. (Karen, expect an email! I'm sore confused!)

Tim has a friend with a dog who had puppies. Tim's initial report was that they were Golden Retrievers. I was kind of on board to get one of the puppies. He came home today and said they were labradors. I love labs. But, I don't think a lab will be a good fit for Scout. :::sigh:::: puppy love crushed again. Anyone have opinions on a type of puppy that would suit an old border collie? The puppy is mostly for Scout (and me). Scout needs a job. She does a great job herding the guinea pigs, but the pigs don't like it so much and they don't seem to learn from outing to outing. Some puppies might learn . . .

I just don't know . . .

Happy Hour at my house tomorrow!

Just show up anytime after a late lunch. You can have Sam Adams or whatever cheap light beer is on sale (I'm a cheap date - Mike likes the good stuff). There's some red wine. We also have lemonade, milk, soy milk and iced tea. We'll have pitas with hummus, the peanuts you crack open (if allergies are an issue, let me know and we'll change that plan to something like popcorn), and Ruffles with onion dip. You can come and go as you please. Bring the kids.

Everyone come here and we'll talk about the things normal people talk about and have fun and talk some more. It'll be fun. You guys can meet my neighbors (unless you are my neighbors - you know me already - good and bad) and it'll be fun. Real fun. No photographers. No press conference on the way to your car!

I'm going to go sit in my driveway and wait for you all.

It's a whole new world . . .

Today, I finally got through to the homeschool coordinator at our local community college. I've been trying for a while. Because it had been so hard to reach her, I thought finally reaching her would be unpleasant. I was wrong. Unlike her co-workers in the "Student Success Services," (NO!!!! I did not make that up!) she was direct and knew what she was talking about.

So, in the next week or so, Danny will be dual-enrolled. He'll finish up high school while earning college credits at the same time. He's ready for it on all levels, but it's freaking me out that my first baby will be going to college. It's weird all-around!

Now, we have to work around the car issue. One car, five people and increasingly varied schedules. It's going to get interesting around here pretty quick.

We lived many years - when the older boys were little - sharing a car. It was economical. It made sense. I like being at home and don't seek to leave very often. But, the minute you tell me I don't have a car, I suddenly want to do all kinds of things that need a car. And I tend to get pissy about having to sit home (or get 3-4 sleeping short people up in the middle of the night so I can have a car in the early evening.) Perverse, I know. But, that's just how I am.

About seven years ago, we bought the Suburban. I was free! The kids were free! Never in the world has a family been as happy about a used truck. And, we're still driving Old Blue. I still love this vehicle. Now, with three teens, one driving, two itching to drive, we're going to have to come up with a new plan.

I have no clue on what the new plan will be. In the meantime, I'm going to just flip out about having a child old enough to attend college classes. He's excited and ready to jump all over this. I'm excited for him, but also a little sad to see him that much closer to leaving altogether. And, Ian and Tim aren't far behind. Weird. Weird. Weird.

Funny picture?

We've been having weird weather lately - storms, rain but not our typical Florida thunderstorms. I'm not complaining, though. The temperatures, especially in the evening, have been pleasant. And, we've had interesting skies as well. Ian shot this picture while we were sitting outside yesterday. Look carefully. I spy with my little eye . . . a butt in the sky! Seriously, once you see it, that's all you can see. Imagine a giant sky-butt looming over your house? It felt like it stayed there forever. Finally the winds picked up and moved the clouds into a nice family-friendly cloud shape again.

Ahhhhh salt air . . .

Tim, Ian, Andy and I headed to the beach today. I swear there really IS something in the air that just rejuvenates you. We pulled into the parking lot about the same time the thundercloud decided to hover over our umbrella. It drizzled - a LOT - but we stuck it out. We ate our Cuban bread with pepperoni and little squares of cheese and drank our Cherry 7-Ups in defiance of the rain. And, sure enough, the rain cleared and we had a beautiful sunny beach day. For late July, the ocean water seems really cool to me. I'm not complaining. It's great to hop in and get really refreshed!

It was a great day all-together. I think I might have to retire my "old' one-piece tankini, though. It appears my butt has completely disappeared and this particular swim suit "floats" around a little more than a swimsuit I want to wear on a regular basis. OK - let's move past this like I never said anything - 'kay?

Nothing truly exciting happened at the beach. It was wonderful and relaxing and just all of the things the beach should be. When we got home, though, there was a great lightening storm. Ian tried to get a picture of how amazing it was without a lot of luck. But, here's one picture that I think is kind of cool.

Yup ... it's about time to start school again . . .

Free from nagging vacation plans and extra money ... we are becoming increasingly bored here. Well, some of us are. Tim, our HUGE extrovert - which is funny because he's not that extroverted - has plenty of movie-making plans and local friends to entertain him. Dan, who continues to seek work and is getting some neighborhood jobs, is antsy. Ian is Ian. He's always working on a new magic trick or something. Andy is restless as all get out. Most of his friends aren't home until after 4 and he doesn't find me or his brothers all that interesting. He's been reading a lot, but he's 9, there's only so much I can expect. This happens every year and every year it's my signal to get off my butt and figure out the school year. I think we'll kick things off on August 3. It's early, yes, but it's nice to take extra time off during the year. Plus, Florida in August? It's too hot to do almost anything.

Tomorrow, however, it's Friday. I think we'll hit the beach tomorrow. Dan is off to a day-long concert thing with some friends. He has his escape but Tim, Ian, Andy and I are also dying to get out of the house. No one even balked when I mentioned we might have to hit WalMart on the way. (Yes, I know I swore the place off, but :::sigh::: I have to be realistic.) I think we're all looking forward to getting some structure back into our lives. Usually, we ease back into things one subject at a time so it shouldn't be too bad.

Tomorrow, we'll just enjoy the day and we'll move on from there. I'm bringing the camera tomorrow (well, it's on the counter so I don't forget it) and I hope to be back tomorrow night with a good story or picture or something.

Wish us luck - we're taking Mike's truck (Danny's taking the Suburban and dropping Mike off at work and picking him up.). I hate driving Mike's truck. It's so stoopid. His truck IS the Suburban without rows of back seats. It's exactly the same size as the car I've been driving for years and years. The dashboard is the same as it is in the 'burb - ok- it's way fancier, but the basics are in the right place. The lack of back seats freaks me out. For some reason I cannot park the truck to save my life and I won't even talk about getting out of the parking space. It's sad, really.

What can I stick in the crockpot tomorrow morning that will be ready when we come home? I'm thinking of tossing some chicken covered in salsa in and just having burritos. We still have the corn salsa, regular salsa, hot sauce and sour cream. That's a good dinner, right?

Sorry to be so uninteresting tonight. But sometimes that is how it goes.

The dilemma

Reading glasses.

Now, don't panic, I'm not nearly old enough to need these. Whew! I know you don't want to be reading a blog of someone so horribly impaired. Sure, I'm blind, but I'm still just far away blind - which is strangely called neardsightedness. Mike, on the other hand, has crossed to the myopic side.

My hat is off to Mike for admitting the problem. I think it just got too embarrassing when we were out for me to stand at the back of the restaurant holding the menu out for him to read. So Mike did the grown up thing, he went to the eye doctor and got him some glasses. In fact, the doctor told Mike to get drugstore glasses. Me, being me, bought the deluxe four-pack at Costco. And, yes, Mike proudly wears his pink-framed lenses here at home. (Don't tell that I told.)

Mike now has glasses at work, in his car, in the living room and next to his side of the bed (the pink ones shhhhhh). The challenge for me is to get used to Mike with glasses. If he's reading and I'm wantonly running around the house and stop to ask him a question, he will put the reading glasses on the tip of his nose and peer at me over the top rim of the glasses. And, it's making me insane. I don't know what it is, but Mike looks crazed when he looks over the glasses and I react in kind. Crazed man answers my question - I back away and pretend I didn't hear the answer. You know, because he's crazy.

In fact, he looks A LOT like Donald Rumsfeld. I never had huge issues with Rumsfeld until my friend (dammit Janet) suggested he had a zipper on the back of his neck that he could unzip to reveal his true lizard identity (a la V). It was funny when she first said it. Now that my husband is channeling Mr. Rumsfeld - not so much. I'm resisting the urge to check my husband for a zipper on the back of his neck. I know he doesn't have one (but what if he does?).

So, while I can still thread a needle, Mike is shielding himself from zipper checks. How did this transition go in your house? Do you or your significant other have zippers on the backs of your necks? How long does it take until you stop looking at the "other" without crazy thoughts?

Oh hell ... I give up, I'm just going to get politcal for a minute . . .

I have never seen this video before tonight, but it curdled my blood. As many of you know, Mike was dramatically ill about five years ago. He was young (40 at the time) and the doctors were astounded at his recovery. Thing is, the thing Mike had occurs most commonly in large men in their 60's and 70's. None of the doctors attending him could say if we should expect another incidence of this. I hate to even think about it.

But, now that Mike is pushing 50, at what age is he expendable? Who decides to dedicate the VAST resources that saved him the first time? We're still paying off bills from that hospital stay, and doing it gladly, but what if there is a next time? The doctors the first time around had no clue what was going on with Mike. They worked quickly and efficiently (though it felt like days and days to me) and they saved him. With the plan we're sort-of reading about (love that transparency!) ... Who gets to decide which person is worthy of the medical resources?

Anyway, you can watch the video. Granted the person is question is old. But, who decides how old is too old? People are living longer and longer. And,the bigger question is, to me at least, WHO decides? How do you get that job? What kind of person would WANT that job? And, seriously, "they can take the painkiller?"

Whew!

The space shuttle has contained the broken toilet. I, for one, am relieved!

And, since we're on the subject of potty-ness ... am I alone in detesting the commercials about "old" guys issues? Seriously? I would die before I filled a prescription for something call Flo-Max. Ummm ... do I need to know about this? Do I really need to watch TV and talk to my kids about erectile dysfunction? Even though I'm edging into this age-group, I don't want to see "beautiful" old people thinking about having old-people sex. I'm not opposed to old-people sex, I just don't want to watch people contemplating it. EVER.

I think there's a reason our eyes fail as we get older. I know when I hop out of the shower every morning, I look awesome - until I put my glasses on. This works equally well when I look at Mike. And, I'm married to a "hot" old guy. (As I'm typing this, there is a Low T commercial on - gah - I don't want to think about anyone's low testosterone!)

I'm thinking men are more likely to buy the newest, latest thing, be it electronics or nether-region remedies. The advertising must work or they wouldn't keep showing it. But, YUCK. I won't even start on the commercials boasting about size and performance. Really? It makes me want to just disconnect the television all together. You can imagine what I have to listen to in a house with five "men" living here. Life can get gross in my world. Someone come save me.

Nirvana + Rick Astley? Seriously, it's good!

At this rate, I'll never have to go to WalMart again!

Whilst (sorry, I've been watching British sitcoms this weekend) getting my last news fix of the night, I ran across these headlines. It's official, the world has become strange enough that I no longer have to venture out into the world to bring you stories of the weird. I'm undecided on whether this is good or bad.

Story 1: Astronauts Deal With Flooded Toilet in Orbit Seriously? Like a regular old flooded toilet here on Earth isn't gross enough? All I can think of is an outer-space porta-potty. No gravity and, and . . . I'll just leave the rest of it to your imagination. I guess there's a reason I never became an astronaut. Too much glamor, even for me.

Story 2: Birds Are Evil! I've been telling you for years, the birds (all of them!) are out to get us all. This is further proof. My favorite line from this interview? "I have brown hair and I wasn't sure if the buzzard had mistaken me for a big, slow rabbit, so I decided not to take any chances, and invested in a hat." Seriously? That was God and the birds warning this man to stay home and sit on his couch NOT to invest in a hat. Or maybe it's just Darwin's theory in action? Everyone get hats and stay inside - it's the only way.

Story 3: No Reason to Grocery Shop . Seriously, what is going on here? Click on the links in the post I linked to see what I'm so worked up about here. WHY am I sitting here worried about paying a little over $1000 to fix our car? WHY do I worry about any of our bills?

I think it's time we buy us some pigs and cows. We can make cheese and ham (well, technically, we wouldn't be making the ham just kind of harvesting it - sorry, ewww) and sell it to the gubmint. In no time we'll be joining the happy folks who are preparing to be taxed at over 50%. Good thing we have no Home Owners Association here - the livestock shouldn't be a problem.

For now, I'm going to enjoy my respite from Wal-Mart.

AT&T Wins

We have been having weird internet issues over the past few days. Our virus ... etc protection is good. The history is good - the kids have not been to anyplace bizarro over the past 60-90 days. It's AT&T. And, as I was going through my AT&T notes, yes, I keep notes, it's interesting that I have to call them for help every single six months. Why? And, I have such an aversion to dealing with AT&T that I've opted to PAY (you read that right) Danny to deal with them tomorrow. He's polite, he has an aptitude for languages and he's broke. Who better to mess with it? Everyone wish Dan luck tomorrow.

In the meantime, it's Laundry 30/Amy 40. That's right! I'm winning the laundry war right now. It won't last, but you have to bask in the triumphs tossed your way, right? Do you see that stack of beautifully clean towels? The dryer is finishing and as soon as that last load goes into the dryer, I'm done. For tomorrow, anyway. Go ahead, get out your pom-poms and "SHOUT" "ALL" "CHEER" for this turn of the "TIDE." ;)

Mini-Vacation!

Well, I officially owe my sister - big time. She drove from Raleigh with her oldest son to join us on our trek to see the first showing of Harry Potter. Her son, my nephew, Jamie, is a Harry Potter nut, like the boys and I are. My sister, not so much. She knows the movies but isn't really into our crazy book trivia thing. You'd think she has younger kids and maybe a life or something? But, they drove here and I'm so glad they did!

The movie was a blast. Yesterday, Lynne and Jamie came here from my parents house for a sleep-over! We're such goobers. Lynne arrived armed with a bottle of wine, tons of chips and snacks that I never buy. Jamie and Andy disappeared immediately. Mike hung out with us for a while, but he crashed by 9:30. Lynne and I were able to sit up talking and talking and talking until very late/early last night. We laughed, we cried, we laughed even harder. It's so rare that we get to spend time alone together ... it was so much fun!

Today, my mom came over around lunch-time and we packed up the 'burb and headed to the beach. Talk about a perfect day. We arrived around 2:00 pm. It was HOT HOT HOT. But, the water was wonderfully cool and refreshing. When we got to the beach, the water was calm. We all swam for a bit, had some lunch and went our seperate ways. The boys swam like crazy. Bing, Lynne and I chomped on chips and read our respective books. Every now and then one of us would go into the water. Beyond that, we were flopped and reading and not talking at all. There are not a whole lot of people in the world you can just comfortably flop and read alongside. Thanks, Lynne and Bing. I finished my book at the beach. Lynne actually kept reading during the whole drive home.;)

We stayed until past 7 pm. We tossed around the idea of just getting a hotel room and staying another day, but Lynne and Jamie have to go back to their lives in NC. Bummer. The boys, despite the lack of good surfing waves, had a great time. Boys are weird, but they do manage to have fun.

For Andy the vacation continues. He went home with Bing and Aunt Lynne and Jamie (to Bing's house - she has actual beds for guests to sleep on). It's so weird to have Andy gone. I'm happy he is getting some good "cousin-time" in for the summer. He's going to be sad to see Jamie leave.

And, now, I'm putting off bedtime for fear of having to face the reality of tomorrow. I have not done laundry since Monday. I KNOW better and still I let it slide. Tomorrow, I pay the price for slacking.

Thanks Lynne, Jamie and Bing for the mini-vacation!

Sorry that all I have right now is the nasty laundry picture. Bing was the only one to remember to bring a camera today. I will have beach pictures tomorrow.

Whew!!!!!

We're having a really tight month here, budget-wise. I hate months like this. But, we have always survived these kind of months and I figured we could survive this month just fine. And, then, I saw this on our homepage. I've been doing this wrong. All of these years, I thought when we didn't have any money, we should STOP spending money. ::::sigh:::: If I'd only known, I bet we'd have beachfront property by now.

You can read the article here if you like - the computer is being wonky or I would link the same information from a more neutral website - if you doubt it, just google. There's even an audio link. The gist of Vice President Biden's speech today was "You have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt." Who knew? I'm so going shopping tomorrow. I don't even like to shop, but I'm going to do it for my family. I'm not sure where to start, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it once I get going. By the end of the day we are going to be so NOT bankrupt it won't even be funny.

While I'm out, does anyone need anything? Leave a comment with your list and I'll pick it up.

Yay!

Our little eight-some trekked out tonight to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It's a strange thing to head out at 11 pm on a Tuesday night for us. But, we didn't feel quite so weird when we arrived at the packed theater. Andy and his cousin Jamie were bouncing off the walls with excitement. The older boys were a bit more restrained, but not by much. Fortified by my evening nap, I was pretty wound up myself. The boys found seats for all of us. Funny how the "only" seats they could find for my mom, my sister and me were on the complete opposite side of the theater.

The 12:10 showing was sold-out. It's fun to go to a packed theater - especially with a bunch of fellow Harry Potter nerds. The Rollins-College-contingent did not disappoint. There were some great costumes wandering around. While the boys were staking claims to seats, we adults got in line for popcorn. My sister ordered three large buckets of popcorn. The guy behind the counter looked at the three of us, clearly related and of normal size, and pulled out a large bucket to show my sister the size. It took a minute before we realized he thought we were each getting our own bucket. (Which, I would gladly do - but he doesn't have to know that!)

We got to our seats and waited - it was still only 11:30 and the theater was full. People are funny. Some were running around taking pictures - you know, the ones who remembered to bring their cameras? The group of girls next to us were sitting on the floor (yes!!! SITTING on a theater floor - blech) playing cards. I saw several people flipping through copies of the book. We stuck to our plan of planting our butts in our seats and eating.

Corn in its many variations is a strange food. It brings out the messiest side of people, but for some reason, it's generally consumed in a group setting. Corn on the cob comes to mind with popcorn being a close second. Unless you are on a first date, you discover people with normally dignified manners are really pigs just like you! By the time the movie started, all three of us had popcorn on and in our shirts and we were very happy. You know it's been a good movie experience when you come home with popcorn flakes stuck in the "v" of your bra. (Unless you're a guy - that would mean you had a very weird movie experience and we don't want to talk about that here.)

Unfortunately, once the movie started, I realized that my seat was directly behind a short wall thing that cut out the bottom right corner of the screen. Gah! I ended up sitting on the arm of my seat for most of the movie because there were no other seats save the one next to mine which was even further behind the wall. I like to think my balancing skills were extra-highlighted as I stretched and reached for more popcorn and candy. I did not tip over even once. The trick is to keep your front foot firmly planted on the front of the seat and not to put weight on your back foot which will cause the seat bottom to flip up suddenly potentially ending up with you splayed on the nasty floor of the theater.

I won't ruin the movie for those of you who chose to sleep last night. I will say I think it's my favorite of the Harry Potter movies. Like all the movies, there are parts from the book that were not in the movie and that's always disappointing - I'd happily watch an 8-hour Harry Potter movie, but most people are normal and have lives that prevent them doing this. There were some really funny, funny scenes. I think part of what I love about these movies is that my older kids have always been the same ages as the movie characters are and it's all so familiar.

I'll give Emma Watson a lot of credit - I thought her performance in this film was 1000 times better than in any of the other movies. :::sniff::: She's all growed-up. And the actor who plays Draco Malfoy was heartbreakingly good. Daniel Ratcliffe just gets better and better. Who knew he was funny?

There are some intense scenes (sorry about that bruise you probably have on your shoulder, Mom) and some touching scenes that weren't overdone. I don't know much about special effects, but Tim assured me that they were as good as I thought they were.

Andy (9) and his cousin, Jamie (11) are both very familiar with the Harry Potter books and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I think it helped that they knew what was coming in some places. I don't think I would take a child younger than 10 who was unfamiliar with the books. I think a lot of the plot would be lost on them and there's a good chance they would flip out in a couple of places. But, that's just me.

I'm hoping to go see the movie again SOON. I liked it that much. Let me know if you see it - I'd love to hear what you think.

Now, I have just fifteen minutes to wait until Mike is up to start his day and I can go to bed. We got home around 3:30, but it seemed mean to crawl into bed, wound up as I was, and potentially wake him up 90 minutes earlier than he has to be moving. Who am I kidding? If I had gone into our bedroom, I would totally have poked at Mike until he woke up so I could talk to someone about the movie. So, here I sit . . .

Homeschool conundrum . . .

I hope I spelled conundrum right - it's a great word and I don't want to mis-use it. What to do? Dan, Tim and Ian are fourteen months apart. When you're a grown up person, this doesn't mean much. I have lumped them together for "the big subjects" since they were 7-8. Now, what do I do? Dan is technically a year ahead in language, history, grammar/English and writing. BUT .... buh...buh... Tim and Ian have done the same work right along. Now what? Do I bump them up a grade or do I design a whole new program?

Dan, if I can get my act together will be attending the local community college for the advanced stuff he wants to pursue. Ian and Tim will follow suit. But I'm struggling with what to do with Ian and Tim next year. Dan is officially done with his language requirement and is hoping to pursue a modern language. Ian and Tim have done the exact same thing as Dan has, they're just a year younger. Do they get credit too? Same with history. And literature.

I want to say I'm raising intellectuals, but I don't think I am. Each boy has their own interests an they're not about ancient texts, Latin or literature. And, that's fine with me. I'm just not sure where to go next. I feel like they all have a pretty good foundation ... For history/literature, I'm kind of leaning to a US study with lots of reading. If nothing else, I want them to understand the foundation of this country. I want them to understand the importance of their rights and the power they potentially hold over who is leading the country.

Thoughts? Ideas? When you were 15-16-17 what would have intersted you (aside from the cool stuff)?

Happy Monday . . .

Busy weekend here - mundane, but busy. For a few more hours, my laundry is DONE, the cupboards are sorted and cleaned out and the kitchen is nearly spotless. I have to say I love my I-pod. I have no songs on it yet, but I love the book on tape option. Pillars of the Earth was so enjoyable while I painted the laundry area. I'm about 1/2-way through my first Librivox recording and I'm thoroughly enjoying it! I'm listening to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

I started this book a few months ago and got distracted. I love being able to listen to it while I get the stoopid stuff I have to do done. If you've never read the The Woman in White or The Moonstone AND if you like books like Jane Eyre or Rebecca or even Agatha Christie, check these books out. The style is very Bronte/Austen, but once you're into it, they're intriguing and surprisingly funny books.

Librivox is free. The readers are volunteers. They're good -- they're not professionals and they're recording from their homes. It's a jolt coming from my love-affair with Jim Dale (reads the Harry Potter books) but, I have to say they do a great job. So far into this book, I've heard a man with a beautiful British accent, a man with a beautiful British accent that makes me think about what a walrus would sound like if he could talk, two women with American accents and, most surprisingly, a woman with a distinct Slavic accent. As I listen to each volunteer reader, I can't help but try to picture them and where they're reading and thinking how cool it is that they would take the time to do this. I don't have a nice reading voice. I'm going to have to find another way to be useful to this group. I'm only on my first book, but if you haven't tried Librivox.org out, give it a shot!

This afternoon I purchased 8 tickets for the 12:10 am showing of the new Harry Potter movie. We're going late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning (depending on your own personal body-clock). My sister is driving down from North Carolina with my oldest nephew to join us. I'm so excited. It'll be me, Dan, Tim, Ian, Andy, Jamie (nephew), Lynne (sister), Bing (my mom) and me. How fun is that? You all know I'm a late-night person. My mom used to be a late-night person and can still dig that out when it's important. My sons are late-night people. My sister and my nephew, not so much. They're planning on serious afternoon naps to see them through the night. For me and the kids, it is SO rare for us to go to a first-showing of anything, but Harry Potter is a tradition. We're splurging. Mike thinks we're all crazy, but he goes along with it all. We should be coming home around the time Mike is getting up to start his day. I married an amazing man! (Wonder if he'll make us breakfast before we head off to bed? Muhahaha.)

Did I mention the laundry is all done? I so love when the planets align and this happens. It's rare, but it's a beautiful thing. The boys have a friend spending the night. I'm killing time until they settle down. Dammit. Remember when you were 15-16 and everything - I mean every SINGLE thing - was funny. That's where they are now. At some point they have to pass out. In the meantime, I've been listening to my book and making granola and chocolate/pumpkin muffins. Mmmmm.....

Time to clean the kitchen . . . things are getting quieter and quieter here . . .

Hope everyone's week is off to a good start!

The more things change . . .

circa 1996















7/11/09





Isn't that hysterical? Danny remembered the old picture, so I got them to pose for a new one. The boys have worked SO hard getting "my" garden ready. They dug out the topsoil, down 6 inches. They loaded the truck with manure (thank you equestrian center!). They then refilled the plot with a manure, compost dirt mixture.

I'm so excited to get going on this garden. Except for the part about it being hot. And the part that Mike thinks the neighbors might think I'm weird if I set up lights and do most of the work at night. Maybe I'll just get a big hat?




7/11/09:

This is why my eye twitches

Honestly, if I go out to the garage first thing in the morning to get English muffins, I should not open the door to find this! I'm too old for this. I could fall and break a hip or, oh, I dunno, I could just kill the evil sleeping boys. But, I chose to scream and run hysterically through the house. ::::sigh::::

Ugh . . .

I feel like I'm at a crossroads here ... I'm here. I'm 44. No one needs me full-time like they used to need me, but they still need me. Kind of. And, what...to...do...with...myself. UGH!

First, I recognize the luxury I have to even type the above. I have not worked full-time for money for the past 16 years. I have worked hard over those years and I won't apologize for them ... but it's different than having a "job" kind of job.

I've lost my youthful eagerness to please everyone. In fact, I think I"m unemployable in terms of a "real" job. I just have to figure out an "unreal" job. While I loved/still love making soap - that is not our path to financial freedom. What IS WHAT I should be doing? I think I need to be writing - but what? What to write that someone would actually pay for? I guess, technically, you can say I've written three novels (a la the November challenge thing), I haven't hit on the genre that really works. And, I can't seem to cross that hill where everyone I write about resembles someone I know or might have known . . .

I tend to focus on the ridiculous, but I find that harder and harder as the boys get older. I think I have to let go of the boys and move into "old-er woman" territory. But, I don't want to write about menopause (peri/post or any variation). I don't want to write about doctor's visits and prescriptions and everything associated with getting old. I ALSO don't want to write about early bird meals, cruises, the joys of owning your own golf cart or any of that. I'm sure I'll get there at some point, but I'm not there yet.

I'm OK with getting old. Sort of. I just don't want to end up a stereotype. AND, I feel like the best of me is yet to come ... I just can't figure out what the best of me actually is.

Someone tell me what to do next? Please? (I mean what to do after I finish up the dinner dishes.)

All He Ever Wanted . . .

A neighbor lent me this book. I can't say it grabbed me immediately, but after the first 3-4 chapters, I was in for the count. The narrator is a pompous, kind of boring, turn of the last-century professor. He's in charge of the story. I kind of hated him from the beginning, but it took a while for me to truly hate him and to start peeking at future chapters hoping for a new narrator. The main female character, Etna, was a cross between admirable and "eh...." It's been a couple of hours since I've finished. I liked the book - but it's not for you if you're looking for a happy, simple ending. I DO think it would be a fun book for a Book Club. I don't have a book club - so everyone here hurry up and read the book and we can discuss. ;)

Lazy Blogging . . .

I know I've had a lot of videos lately, but this will be the last for a while. I promise. I'm not crazy about the song, but I think it's amazing that this video was made with fans of the artist only using their webcams! I cannot imagine how they figured it all out, but it's worth watching - very cool.

SOUR / 日々の音色 (Hibi no Neiro) MV from Magico Nakamura on Vimeo.

The Epic Finale!

If you've watched this long - thank you. Ian really does get exponentially better every year . . . someday you'll be saying, "I knew him when."

Part 3 and an Epic finale to my show 3 of 3 from Ian Baker on Vimeo.

More Magic!

This is the middle of the show . . . I have not watched the video, but the issues (sound, lighting, short people) remain the same ... not Ian's fault, but distractions and detractions from the video nonetheless . . . still, I'm so proud of Ian

Magic Show Part 2 of 3 from Ian Baker on Vimeo.

Ian the Magic Ian - Part I

The stage is Gilligan's Island, but he gets better every year. This year's issues? Sound, short people and lack of communication with the "sound/video" people. His show was REALLY good ... it's just hard to tell here. That's me walking into the camera to quiet the freaked out dog.

July 4th Magic Show Part 1 of 3 from Ian Baker on Vimeo.

Why it's good to say "NO!" when they're 3!

The boys brought this to my attention this evening. They were stunned and appalled by this kid's behavior. I was too. Yikes - I hope he's the exception to the rule. (If you have young kids, don't run the video if they're around. If you have issues with bad language, skip it.)



FWIW - Mike would have been on top of any of our boys the minute they started reacting that way. Gah! I'm guessing this kid is not going to be working as a Wal-Mart greeter in the near future. Actually, now that this video is famous, he may never be working.

This Made My Entire Week

I saw it first at The Anchoress. Thanks to her for putting this up. People are nice and kind. Not always, but sometimes, when it counts.

More Random

Has anyone seen the hearing aid commercial with Lee Majors? How is it possible that he's 1000 years old?

Michael Jackson is going to be buried without his brain? GAH!!!! Why do I know that? Do I need to know this?

We had a rotten start to the week. My beloved 1999 Suburban (see how pretty it was new? It's still that pretty in my mind's eye) acted up over the weekend. I let the towing thing on our insurance lapse so, with the towing bill and the repair bill we spent pretty much everything . . . we only need 2-3 more years out of the 'Burb. I hope the new fuel pump will get us there. In the meantime, send beans and rice and/or something to help me sleep.

I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds - usually I have a plan, but, this week, I don't. And, my first inclination is to hibernate on the couch watching really bad television. Anyone want to join me? Anyone want to talk me out from under the quilt?

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Did anyone go to a local Tea Party? I feel like a slacker, we didn't get to one of ours. I love having people here and we do it twice a year usually - New Year's Eve and July 4th. Yesterday was no exception. I love getting everyone together and eating and talking and comparing how short we all are getting in comparison to our kids.

As always, the food was amazing. German Potato salad, bbq'd pulled pork with cute litte rolls, wee pickles wrapped with cream cheese and salami (you NEED this), a variety of wings, a stack of homemade White Castle burgers, meatballs and garlic bread, little hot dogs, amazing cucumbers, brownies, cherry pie and gooey brownies. Did I mention the potato salad? Breakfast of champions, I promise.

We had a great group of people here. I love how everyone was so supportive of Ian's 3rd annual magic show. His stage was very Gilligan's island, but his stage presence has changed dramatically! I was so proud of him last night. AND, if Ian loves me he and Tim will get that video up on YouTube soon. I think you all might enjoy it. We told him that if he could handle the 12 and under hecklers/show-stealers he's ready for Vegas.

It was, overall, a great night. We'll ignore our off/on neighbor (she loves us and hates us) who called the police on the legal fireworks the kids were setting off (under adult supervision). The poor 12-year-old policeman that visited our house. He was doing his job. But, while he was doing his job, every street around us was going up in smoke like a war zone. And, I should add, all of this was going on before 10 pm. Even the most fireworks hating person on the planet can't really complain about this.

Anyway, it was a fun night and I'm glad to live where I do.

Cool Neighbors!

We have the best neighbors - all around us. (OK, maybe not the grumpy lady that called the police last night, but that's a different post.) If you're sitting in our house, to our left, we have a young couple that both have totally fun jobs. One does events (and a LOT of other things) for a couple of local radio stations and the other is a photographer for the local newspaper. They have both been beyond generous with their time and talent and showing the boys what things are like in their jobs.

This week, the "radio" neighbor offered Tim (our budding photographer/film maker) a chance to work as a "runner" for their Red-Hot-and-Boom event. His job was to literally run photo cards, equipment, messages, whatever, from the stage in the middle of the lake to the "home tent." Tim was so excited the night before. He worked his butt off all day and night. In return, he got to meet all the bands, see first-hand how photography, the internet and technology in general translates into real jobs. He came home exhausted and excited. His heels were actually bleeding (yeah, mom, I heard when you said to wear socks . . .) . . . but he was so full of energy and ideas. It was nearly 1:30 when he came home and he was wired and exhausted at the same time. I don't think he's fully down yet and this was Friday night.

I'll ask him in the morning, but here are some pictures of Tim with people that are in bands that people want to listen to - the crowd was HUGE. I know one of the bands has "Kings" in the name because I got all excited when Tim told me about it - I thought he was saying "Kinks." I'm so old.

Hello, neighbors! Thank you for being so awesome - you have no idea how much it means. Now, enjoy Tim and semi-famous people. Isn't Tim cute? (Don't tell him I said that.)

I really need a life

For the past several nights, I've been working late painting my laundry area in the garage. When we first moved in, I painted it blue with some clouds. Pretty lame, but it was cheerier than garage walls. It was fine.

But . . . like most of my projects, this one started innocently enough. I was getting stuff out of my donation box by the dryer for the truck picking stuff up in the morning. I didn't feel like going back into the house because it was loud in there and I was enjoying the rain and listening to Pillars of the Earth on my new I-Pod. I decided to clean - really clean the whole area. As I was cleaning and tossing, I noticed the monstrous surplus of paint we had on the other side of the garage. I DO love paint. At first, I was just going to paint it all yellow.

As you can see, I got a little carried away. I wish my artistic skills matched my enthusiasm, but it makes me happy. And, as much time as I spend doing laundry, being happy out there helps. I have one more wall to finish up tonight. The last wall is red with lattice and vines and flowers. Very tropical. The lattice idea came from the vines in the front of the house. Those vines hold morning glories and moon flowers - so there are always flowers out there.

Once I'm done with this, I'm not sure what to do next. I'm sure it will come to me. Consider yourself warned . . .

Another reason to love Andy

Poor Andy. I've been playing pantry Bingo for the past week in an effort to avoid big grocery shopping. Well, yesterday, after trying to convince the kids that saltines and salsa was a good breakfast, I caved.

Anymore, grocery shopping is a big flipping deal here in my constant effort to feed us well and cheaply. So we started at our grocery discount store. You never know what you'll find there, but it's always worth checking out. I found some great deals on cereal (huge treat here), ground meat, green peppers and eggs. I spent $114 on 5 large boxes of cereal (Raisin Bran, Cocoa Puffs, Corn Flakes, Mini-Wheats and Chex), 20 lbs of ground meat, 3 dozen eggs, 5 loaves of frozen garlic bread, a giant bag of french fries, and most of the canned goods we'll need for the next two months. And, don't forget the 2-2 lb bags of M&M's @ $1.50 each. Not bad. Andy come out with a bottle of root beer and was ready to face Aldi's.

Aldi's is weird. I didn't get a whole lot there: a dozen bagels, 10 lbs of potato's, chips for the 4th of July party, two large frozen chickens, ice cream, ziploc bags, tortillas, onions, sour cream, 3 gallons of milk, crystal light, sliced cheese (3 kinds), cream cheese (2 lbs), graham crackers, 3 lbs of butter, 4 lbs of mahi-mahi (steak of the ocean, according to Andy, my fellow-carnivore) and soda for the 4th - $136.00.

Today, we headed to Costco. Ouch. I bought a lot of meat (pork loin, Italian sausage, fryer chicken, split chicken breasts and stew beef), laundry detergent, soy milk, almonds, shampoo, coffee, paper towels, toilet paper, meatballs, paper cups (yes, I am a threat to the planet, sue me), bread crumbs, dog food, 25 lbs of rice, 50 lbs of flour, 25 lbs of sugar, beer for the party on the 4th, craisins, raisins, conditioner, apples, bananas, oreos and chips ahoy. $398.

Because I just bought so much food - I have pretty much guaranteed that Orlando will be directly hit by a hurricane in the next week causing everyone to lose power and all their food. If we don't get get a hurricane, I should be able to avoid the grocery stores (minus trips to the bread and produce stores) for about six weeks.

But, why do I love Andy? He's young enough to do what the rest of us just think about. He actually stood up to a crazy old lady who tried to cut in front of him at the sample table to grab the last chocolate-covered cream puff. Why do free samples make people insane? She actually used her cart to try to shove Andy out of the way. He ducked right under saggy old arm and snagged the very last chocolate-covered cream puff and licked it really fast - looking right at the old bag. Having three older brothers does pay off sometimes! As a rule, I don't encourage my kids to steal food from old people, no matter how obnoxious they are, but this was a chocolate-covered cream puff and that removes all the regular rules. I'm so proud of my little shopper.

I "Heart" Books

Just to keep my reading records intact, here are the two latest books I've read - interstingly, they both have "heart" in their titles.

First, I read In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's the true story of the whaleship Essex. The ship was attacked by an angry whale and the story is about the men who survived. (Yes, it did help inspire Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick.) I don't normally read a lot of non-fiction. This book just looked interesting. And, it was. interesting and graphic. Skips this one if you're at all squeamish. Otherwise, it's an interesting read.

Next, I read the first Maeve Binchy book I've read in years, Heart and Soul. Sometimes you just need a good Maeve Binchy book, you know?

I've got a nice little stack of books to work my way through - I'll keep you posted.

Brand New Day . . .

So, Dan has spent the past two days looking for work. The ground he's covered is impressive. His attitude is still good. NO ONE IS HIRING. The one place that needed someone (after Dan helped them unload the morning truck of stuff) promised him the job and then asked his age. That company only hires people over the age of 18. He's headed out tomorrow, though. How crazy is it that Mc'D's and BK are telling him they're already "overstaffed?" At least he's trying, right? I keep encouraging him.

For now, I'm placated. He's taking the looking for work thing seriously. I, the ultimate optimist, don't see things improving in the near future. I've told the kids that if they can get an apprentice-ship to a real skill, we'll count it as a job. Dan hit three mechanics today and no go. Two already have apprentices and the other said they'll be going out of business within the next week or two. Dan's been to 19 places in two days - not one job.

There's CHANGE you can believe in, huh? Our new president is like George Bush on some kind of super-speed drug.

I hope you're all reading about Cap/Tax. If you're not, you should be! You will have to have a federal agency come in and check your house and mandate the upgrades YOU have to make before you sell. Have you checked your light bulbs lately, those are also under scrutiny. What are you driving? Does it meet federal standards? Need a new roof? Make sure it's reflective. Anything else you're worried about, it's ok - it's covered under the sections of 1200++ pages and marked "bookmarked." When the bill passes, our dear leaders will tell us what should go into those sections and how we should have to pay for it. AFTER the bill has passed. Call your representatives!

I know I sound crazy. But these are crazy times. Skip the Michael Jackson and the rest of it for a few minutes and pay attention to what is happening.

Tomorrow: pictures of my beautiful laundry-area mural . . .

So this is what happened to my own parents . . .

At a certain age, I thought my parents were truly stoopid. Come to find out they were only hiding in their protective parent-shells and being smart. Gah. I wasn't a terrible kid. My sister was not a terrible kid. Even my brother was a good kid. My own kids are not BAD people. But, day-amm, if they aren't stoopid lately. I want to blame the moon, but it's not really working out for me. They're just great big dumb teenagers and it would be wrong for me to beat them about their heads all day long (tempting as it might be).

Some of it seems to be a case of prolonged-childhood. In my unbiased opinion, they are too old to expect to be entertained everyday. In fact, they should be out there helping to earn their own way. I don't remember my parents having to lay this all out for me (but maybe it's a girl thing - I wanted way more clothes than my folks would ever buy). Here, it seems to be a step-by-step guide to "yes-you're-going-to-have-to get-a-job-and-you-are-not-above-any-job." And, sons, if the first job doesn't pan out, you have to keep on going out there and filling out applications. Honestly, my head is exploding here. And, yes, I've suggested numerous times that they start their own business - but what do I know?

I read Danny the riot act this morning. He went and got his hair cut short (and much more flattering, if you ask his mom) and he applied at several places. I think he thinks I'm kidding about getting him up and on his way early tomorrow. The reality is, if the boys don't pay their own car insurance (even on my 10-year-old-Suburban) NONE of us can afford to drive. I'm not bluffing. I'm not trying to teach them a lesson, that's just how it is.

I'm bummed that none of the older boys seem to grasp the importance of earning their own money (not that they're getting funds from us). Somewhere, I feel like I missed a big lesson with them. I've heard of families asking their older teens to pay for things like deodorant, shaving cream, razors, etc . . . I'm on the verge of doing this. But, it feels so petty on one hand and on the other hand it seems like something they need to learn.

I'm just down tonight. I've had a ton of crappy jobs, and so has Mike. While we didn't like those jobs, we did them and learned from them. Our kids should do the same. They've grown up in a frugal world. They've grown up around successful entrepreneurs. They've grown up watching Mike and me work our butts off. And, somehow, it all seems to be lost on them. For now, it's just going to be me "cracking the whip" to get them to get any kind of job. (In fairness, Ian and Tim are still 15 and no one - you know unless you take the initiative and start your own business - will hire anyone under 16) Danny, however, starts day two of finding a job. He's clean. He's sober. He's articulate. There is NO reason in the world he should not have a job. (In his mind, most of his friends DON'T work AND they have cell phones and tons more downloads on I-pod.) I don't know why his friends don't work or why/how???? (how is the big question) they have cell phones with unlimited everything. This is NOT Dan's reality. Time for wishing for a fairy-godmother is up.)

On one hand I want everything for my kids to be easy ... on the other (BIGGER) hand, I want them to learn what it means to work for something and really have it mean something.

Anyway, tonight was one of those frustrating nights where no one was happy. I'm tired and I'm going to bed now.


In the meantime, I'm going to go soak my head in something and try to figure out where I went wrong with these older boys in the hopes of not passing it on to Andy.